Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis

Philippe Abrams est directeur de la poste de Salon-de-Provence. Il est marié à Julie, dont le caractère dépressif lui rend la vie impossible. Pour lui faire plaisir, Philippe fraude afin d'obtenir une mutation sur la Côte d'Azur. Mais, il est démasqué : il sera muté à Bergues, petite ville du Nord. Pour les Abrams, sudistes remplis de préjugés, le nord c'est l'horreur, une région glacée, peuplée d'êtres rustres, éructant un langage incompréhensible, le "cheutimi". Philippe ira seul. À sa grande surprise, il découvre un endroit charmant, une équipe chaleureuse, des gens accueillants, et se fait un ami : Antoine, le facteur et le carillonneur du village, à la mère possessive et aux amours contrariées. Quand Philippe revient à Salon, Julie refuse de croire qu'il se plait dans le nord. Elle pense même qu'il lui ment pour la ménager. Pour la satisfaire et se simplifier la vie, Philippe lui fait croire qu'en effet, il vit un enfer à Bergues. Dès lors, sa vie s'enfonce dans un mensonge confortable...

O administrador dos correios Philippe Abrams para animar a sua esposa Julie, que está muito deprimida, faz tudo para que consigam ir viver para a costa francesa, pois gostam muito do soalheiro Sul de França. Mas quando Philippe é apanhado a fazer vigarices para conseguir ser transferido para um "resort" na Riviera, o castigo não podia ser pior: para pagar as suas asneiras ele terá de trabalhar, durante três anos, na estação dos correios de Nord Pas de Calais, uma das regiões mais industriais e frias do seu país.

Philippe Abrams is the manager of the French post office (''La Poste (France)'') branch in Salon-de-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, in southern France. He is married to Julie, whose depressive character makes his life miserable. Philippe does everything to get a job at an office on the Mediterranean seaside to make her happy. As this desirable position will only be granted to a disabled person, Abrams pretends that he is - and is found out by the management. As punishment, he is banished for two years to Bergues, a town near Dunkirk in northern France. Northern France – and the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in particular – is considered boondocks – a cold and rainy place inhabited by unsophisticated ''ch'tis'' who speak a strange language (called "Picard language" in local parlance, and "''cheutimi''" in the South). He has to spend his first night at the home of Antoine, a co-worker of his. Philippe initially dislikes Antoine for his obnoxious behavior and because he initially thinks Antoine is gay (he found photographs of Antoine dressed as a woman, but they were taken during a carnival party and Antoine admits to doing more than dressing as a woman during that time). However, Antoine and Philippe later become best friends.